Lalitha Sahasranamam 143 - 146

Friday, August 28, 2009

Nirupaplavā निरुपप्लवा (143)

She is perdurable, yet another quality of the Brahman. The same meaning is conveyed in nāma 180.

There is another interpretation, which says that She produces ambrosia that spreads to the 72000 nerves in human body. This refers to Her subtlest Kuṇḍalinī form. When Kuṇḍalinī reaches sahasrāra, it produces ambrosia that drips through the throat and spreads throughout the nervous system. This nāma is split into nir (the word nir has many meanings and in this context, it means body) + upa (approaching) + plavā (dripping). This means that when Kuṇḍalinī approaches sahasrāra the ambrosia starts dripping into the body system.

Nitya-muktā नित्य-मुक्ता (144)

She is eternally free, another quality of the Brahman. To realise the Brahman, one has to be free from bondage.

Nirvikārā निर्विकारा (145)

She is devoid of modifications (vikāra means modification). Brahman does not change. There are two aspects of creation viz. puruṣa and prakṛtī. Puruṣa is the Supreme consciousness that is free of bondage, full of knowledge and creative power. This can be interpreted as the divine or active principles from the minute portions of which the universe was formed. If one has the power to create, he has to possess the requisite knowledge for creation. If creator does not possess sufficient knowledge, his creation goes haywire. Puruṣa is not associated with body, senses and mind. It does not undergo modification but constantly witnessing those countless modifications that happens around it. Prakṛtī is opposite of puruṣa. It is the root cause of creation and undergoes changes continuously. It is associated with three gunas. When puruṣa and prakṛtī conjoin, universe is created.

Devoid of changes here mean with regard to twenty three tattva-s. They are mahat [It is a product of prakṛti. It the great principle, of buddhi, the Intellect, or the intellectual principle. According to the Sāṃkhya philosophy the second of the twenty three principles produced from prakṛti and so called as the great source of ahaṃkāra, (ego) self-consciousness and manas, the mind], ego and five tanmātra-s (sound, taste, smell, light and touch). These seven are called cause. Five organs of perception, five organs of action, five basic elements and mind make the balance sixteen. These sixteen are called action. Therefore prakṛti is made up of cause and action and puruṣa is devoid of this. But for creation both puruṣa and prakṛti are required. This points out to Śiva-Śaktī union.

But, in this nāma She is addressed as puruṣa, the Brahman. Puruṣa and prakṛti are discussed in detail in later nāma-s.

Niṣprapañcā निष्प्रपञ्चा (146)

Prapañca means expansion, development or manifestation. She is without such attributes. Since the Brahman is ādhi (the first) and anādhi (without parentage) it does not have any control and does not require any modifications or changes. This is because the Brahman is complete or full which is called pūrṇam. Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (verse 7) says ‘total cessation of the world as such, the embodiment of peace (here word śāntam is used. Refer nāma 141 ‘śāntā’), the total of all that is good (word ‘śivam’ is used here), one without a second (this is because of ādhi and anādhi), the fourth state (turya state, the other three being, sleep, dream and deep sleep stages which are called jākrat, svapna, suṣupti). Think this turya as the Self and this is to be realized’. The Brahman is beyond the three stages and can be realized only in the turya or the fourth state. This state is the embodiment of peace and all that is good. These stages are discussed in detail from nāma 257.

All these interpretations go to indicate the nirguṇa Brahman. This nāma means that She is without any expansion as the Brahman will never undergo changes or modifications.